Crimson Lance

This article is about the faction in Borderlands. For other uses, see Lance.

Crimson Lance propaganda poster.

The Crimson Lance is the highly trained private military force of the Atlas corporation. They impose a form of dictatorial law upon civilians in their dominion, and are considered by many to be "Serious Badasses".

Contents

History

When the colonization of Pandora went bad, the Crimson Lance brigade on the planet decided to build a base and fortify it. They are known to heavily prefer the use of military might to get their way.[1]

Some in-game evidence suggests that at some point the Atlas Corporation had employed at least one gang of bandits on Pandora as extra hired goons, but an event occurred which resulted in Atlas deploying the Crimson Lance to wipe out the bandits instead, and take over Old Haven. Similarly, Helena Pierce mentions that they've turned Sanctuary into their fiefdom, requiring Sanctuary's population to be subservient to the Lance.

Involvement

From left to right, an Engineer with his Scorpio Turret, Defender, two Infantry.

As the Vault hunters finish up with bandits in the Arid Badlands area, their acquisition of the first Vault key fragment attracts the attention of the local Lance garrison commander Commandant Steele. She insists that the newcomers hand over any Vault-related findings and promptly silences the transmission.

The Crimson Lance are physically encountered much later in the story, first in Old Haven when smoke signals are witnessed rising from the old town and must be investigated. This is revealed to be a plot to snare bandits, although this action also brings the Crimson Lance into direct conflict with the adventurers, heralding many battles to come.

Some time later, after the defeat of the bandit lord Baron Flynt, Commandant Steele declares martial law on Pandora. At this point the Vault hunters are declared enemies of the Crimson Lance and are to be arrested or killed. The military lock down is witnessed in the Salt Flats as Lance assault pods pepper the area and the Crimson Lance immediately replace much of the area's bandit population.

Many battles ensue as the Vault hunters pursue Steele into the heart of the Crimson Fastness and begin to sabotage the Lance's stranglehold on the planet. Steele escapes however, and leads the chase into a new struggle, pitting the Lance against ancient Guardians tasked with protecting the prize that everyone is seeking, the Vault. This brings about a brutal three-way struggle between the Lance, the Vault hunters and the Guardians, all focused on eliminating the other parties. The Crimson Lance manage to reach the objective first, and with the Vault hunters as witnesses Commandant Steele performs the final act of the Lance; opening the Vault and unleashing the horror within.

Later on, in the third DLC, they are shown to be bringing greater force to bear on Pandora to regain control of the planet, and take revenge on the adventurers. In a propaganda-like message, they blame the Vault Hunters to be thieves and mass murderers who unleashed the Destroyer onto the world and furthermore the Lance claims to have killed it themselves.

Sometime after the death of General Knoxx, the Crimson Lance forces on Pandora became disorganized due to Atlas' abandonment of the system. Roland used this opportunity to rally the abandoned Lance soldiers on the planet under his command, forming the Crimson Raiders, a resistance group dedicated to overthrowing Hyperion's rule over Pandora. However, not all of the Lance joined the resistance; others went to Old Haven and became bandits, who were then wiped out by Roland and Lilith.

During the time in the Tales from the Borderlands, a group of Crimson Lance soldiers were under the command of General Pollux to protect the Gortys Project in Old Haven. When Athena decided to terminate the project she killed all the Crimson Lance soldiers at the Atlas facility that the Gortys Project was kept. When Athena was done she decied to hunt down Pollux to get his secret about the Project. Later Rhys, Fiona, Sasha and Vaughn discovered all the dead bodies at the facility.

The Secret Armory of General Knoxx

Ceresia - A Lance Assassin officer who ambushes the player at the beginning of Road's End.

General Knoxx - A Lance general and the titular character of The Secret Armory of General Knoxx.

Hera - A Lance Assassin officer who ambushes the player outside of Moxxi's Redlight.

Helicon - A Lance Assassin officer who ambushes the player in front of the Crimson Armory main entrance.

Kyros - A Lance lieutenant who is in charge of the northern Lance blockade in The Ridgeway.

Minerva - A Lance Assassin officer who ambushes the player at The Ridgeway.

Typhon - A Lance lieutenant who is in charge of the southern Lance blockade in The Ridgeway.

Vulcana - A Lance Assassin officer who ambushes the player in T-Bone Junction.

Strategy and Tactics

Borderlands Canal Gameplay

Lilith Fighting Crimson Lance Troops.

The Crimson Lance are the most well-equipped human opponents in Borderlands. They carry weapons and equipment of higher quality than is seen in bandit hands - uncommon or betterweapons and moddedgrenades - and many also use orb shields, while all of them wear body armor. Anyone facing them must take care as their high quality equipment gives them considerable firepower and added lasting power. On the other hand, their being better equipped does mean they will always drop some loot: any combination of the gun, grenade mod and shield they were using. This can make them a prime source of excellent loot particularly in four-player games.

In addition, all Crimson Lance soldiers wear body armor that primarily covers their head, chest, arms and shins. This armor reduces non-elemental bullet damage considerably, making them difficult to kill. Though they have the same weak spot as all other human enemies (the head), their armor also reduces the damage inflicted by head shots, while their movement and constant output of suppressing firepower makes aiming for their heads difficult. A player can aim at their exposed thighs if given no other options. The armor comes not without a price: Corrosive weapons are very effective against them; while the damage-over-time effect is active, corrosion also temporarily weakens their armor, mitigating some of its damage reduction and allowing other attacks to penetrate more effectively. However, take especial care of the occasional Lance soldier equipped with a corrosive resistance orb shield; like any other enemy or player equipped with such a shield, they will flash green when hit.

The ballistic shields wielded by Defenders cover most of their body when they are facing attackers, and any shots striking it will do zero damage. Powerful or sustained shots to their shield can knock it aside, allowing an opportunity to shoot at their bodies or heads. The shields are also not tall enough to completely protect their heads so a decent marksman should be able to shoot over the shield and hit them for critical damage. The shields will also never cover their feet, so if they are not behind other cover this is also a viable target. Lastly, the splash effect from most elemental weapons can often get around the shield to hit the soldiers themselves. Elemental weapons, sniper rifles and automatic weapons are therefore highly regarded for use against Defenders.

Engineers can deploy a Scorpio Turret which supplements their own firepower. Because the Scorpio is stationary and has a fixed fire arc, players can avoid its damage by jumping over it or moving around and outside its range of rotation. The turret is quite durable but vanishes when the Engineer dies, so the Engineer is usually the preferred target. The turret can otherwise be used for Second Wind if it remains exposed when the Engineer gets behind cover.

Finally, Crimson Lance Badasses have a lot more health and even more armor than their ordinary counterparts. All of them wear additional armor plates, including large shoulder guards that block line of sight to their heads from most angles and completely negate bullet damage in that location the same way the shields of Defenders do. Furthermore, every part of their body is covered in damage-reducing armor. They are virtually immune to normal gunfire, though critical hits will still do some damage. They also seem to be more aggressive and more willing to get close or pursue the player during firefights than the rank-and-file Lance mercenaries.

Despite how formidable they are, these Badasses otherwise behave like their respective type. Infantry are very mobile and aggressive; Defenders will have shields and will flinch once these shields absorb enough damage; Engineers will drop Scorpio Turrets. The recommended tactics against their ordinary versions still apply but extra care must be taken. The use of elemental weapons, specifically Corrosive guns, are especially emphasized in dealing with them.

Notes

Crimson Lance can occasionally be found wielding Eridian weapons. Such weapons are commonly found on high-level Lance Infantry and Elemental Troopers.